Drill supporting device



Dec. 3o, 1952 J. E. THOMAS ETAL 2,623,739

DRILL SUPPORTING DEVICE ATTORNEYS Dec. 30, 1952 J, E. THOMAS ETAL.

DRILL SUPPORTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 3, 1948 ATTORNEYS r/f-IMESETHOMAS, CL AeE/vcEDA/vDE/eso/v, JM? 50u/M Dec. 30, 1952 J. E. THOMAS E T AL DRILL SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 3, 1948 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 A QAeE/vcEDANDE/esml,

ArToe/VEYS Patented Dec. 30, 1952 DRILL SUPPORTING DEVICE James E. Thomas and Clarence D. Anderson,

Kellogg, Idaho, assignors to The Eimco Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, a corporation of Utah Application December 3, 1948, `Serial No. 63,386

2 Claims. (Cl. 262-S) This invention relates to rock drilling machines and, more particularly, to a rock drill supporting device adapted to be carried by the bucket of an overhead shovel loader or the like.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a drill supporting device which may be speedily and simply attached to the bucket of a mucking shovel without modification of the structure of the shovel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a drill supporting device for mining and tunneling that will effect a great saving in time and eX- pense by making possible the use of the muck removing vehicle as the motive power for a drill and drill support.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drill supporting device which may be conveniently and rapidly adjusted throughout a wide area of operation from a single position of the supporting vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device that can be readily adjusted for horizontal, vertical or angular drilling at various levels.

A further object is to provide a drill supporting device with extendible wall engaging ends that will rigidly support the drill within a wide range of positions and attitudes.

These and other objects and advantages are provided by the drill supporting device of the invention which in its preferred embodiment includes a rock drill supporting cylinder having fluid pressure operated telescoping wall-engaging end members, clamp means to immobilize the wall-engaging end members against inward movement, and means for attaching the cylinder to the bucket of a mucking shovel or the like.

The invention will be more particularly described with reference to the illustrative embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the drill supporting device attached to the bucket of an overhead shovel;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the supporting cylinder showing the telescoping wallengaging end members;

Fig. 3 is side view of a shovel bucket with the drill supporting cylinder attached;

Fig. 4 is a lateral view of the shovel with the drill supporting assembly in operating position;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the drill supporting device of the invention positioned to drill at right angles to the direction of a mine tunnel; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side View of the drill support attaching mechanism.

In mining and rock tunneling in accordance with methods in common use today rock drills and their corresponding supports and power supplies are brought forward to the end of the mine or tunnel where series of holes are drilled at various levels, angles and depths. When this is accomplished the drills, their supports or frames and power supplies are removed from their forward positions to out of the way places which often requires their complete removal from the tunnel or mine until it has been cleared of the muck pile produced by the blasting charges inserted in the drilled holes. By the use of the rock drill supporting device of the invention the muck pile removing vehicle may be converted into a drilling machine supplying the power required to position and hold the drill support in operating position, eliminating the necessity of using different machines for drilling and mucking in the conned space of mines and tunnels where simplicity and ease of operation is of the greatest importance. In particularly narrow tunnels the loader may be used for positioning the rock drill supporting device and after the wall-engaging pistons have been extended and engage the walls of the drift the drill mount could be disconnected from the shovel bucket and the loader moved back out of the way while the drilling is in progress, providing more room for the drill operators.

Referring particularly toFigs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, I0 is a mucking shovel ofthe type shown in U. S. Patent 1,960,000 with an overhead shovel bucket II. At the forward edge of the bucket II is attached the drill supporting device I2 of the invention. The drill supporting device l2, as more fully illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a hollow drill` supporting cylinder I3 with fluid pressure inlet I4, fluid velocity restricting plug Ma to limit the speed of piston movement, fluid pressure relief holes I5, piston stop clamps I6 and split cylinder mounting clamps I1. Slidably mounted within the ends of the drill supporting cylinder I3 are pistons I8 having wall engaging ends I9 and piston rings 20.

The drill support I2 is rigidly clamped at the forward edge of the shovel bucket Il by hooked turnbuckle coupling elements 23 which consist of hooked rods 28, and connecting links 25. The drill support I2 may be attached by the use of other coupling means in place of the hooked turnbuckle elements 23, such as bolts or chains passing through the eyes I'lb in the split cylinder mounting clamps I'I and engaging at their lower ends the flanged corners I Ic of the bucket I I.

In order to convert and operate the mucking 3 shovel I0 as a drill rig, drill supporting cylinder I3 is positioned crosswise of bucket II in such a manner that the cylinder is supported by digging lip Ila and side edges IIb of the shovel bucket. Bolts Ila of split cylinder mounting clamps I'I are loosened and the bands are positioned on either sideV of the bucket lip IIa so that the eyed extension arm I'Ib overhang the front edge of the shovel bucket Il. Bolts Ila are tightened and the upper ends of hooked coupling turnbuckles 23 are inserted in eyes I'lb while the other ends are securely engaged under the lower hanged corners Iic o'fV the bucket II,

as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

Next the fluid pressure line, not shown, is connected to the inlet port Ill of cylinder I3 and the rock drill 26, and its guide shell 21 are mounted upon the supporting cylinder I3 in a manner Well known in the` art.A

Muck-ing shovel Iii is then positioned within the mine or tunnel. This positioning may involve any combination of the following movements-z` the bucket I I with the attached drill supporting mount I2 may be raised or lowered to the proper drilling level by the bucket hoist on the .1

loader I!! as shown in Figs. 3 and 4; the upper deckV Ilia' of the loader may be pivoted to the desiredangle as illustrated-in Fig; 5; and the loader Ill may be advanced or retracted. At the desired height and angle fluid pressure is supplied to the cylinder I3 to force the wall-engaging pistons outwardly in the supporting cylinder I3 until the Walls o'fthe drift are `engaged by the wall-engaging Vendfrne'rnloe'rs Il);` In-order to prevent the wall engaging pistons I8 from moving inwardly durv ing the drilling operation, .split piston stop clamps I6 are locked at each end of the cylinder by drill. being then transferred through the loader to themine rails.

From the foregoing kdescription it 'will be seen that the present invention provides a rock drill supporting device that can be readily attached to and removed from the bucket of amucking shovel. It will be evident that various modiiications may be made; in the construction of the device and* in the form of the means for attaching the supporting device to the shovel bucket 4 without'departing from the principles of the invention.

The invention provides a drill supporting device and a mining machine including the drill supporting device mounted on the bucket of a mucker shovel whereby the aims, objects and advantages of the invention are fully accomplished.

We claim:

l. A rock drill supporting and positioning device adapted to be mounted on a power operated material handling machine having a horizontally and vertically movable loading head including a shovel bucket having at least one digging tooth projecting from' the leading edge thereof, comprising a drill supporting cylinder adapted to be supported by the lateral side edges of the shovel bucket, and clamping means engaging the cylinder and the lower edge of the shovel bucket to maintain said cylinder in contact with the lateral side edges and the digging tooth of the shovel bucket.

2. A rock drill supporting and positioning device adapted to be mounted on va power yc'iperated material handling machine having v'a horizontally and vertically movable loading head including. a shovel bucket having at least one digging tooth projecting from the leading edge thereof, Ycomprising a drill supporting cylinder `adapted to be supported by the lateral side edges of the shovel bucket, and clamping. means cooperating with the shovel bucket and said `drill supporting' cylinder for detachably 'mounting 'said Ycylinder to the shovel bucket, said clamping'means comprising at least two ring clamps secured to the drill supporting cylinder, angular extension arms provided on said ring clampsadapted to overhang the leading edge' of the shovel bucket, and coupling means engaging the angular extension and the lower edge of the shovel bucket to maintain said cylinder in contact with the lateral side edges and the digging tooth of the shovel bucket. Y

JAMES E. THOMAS. CLARENCE D. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES c'rrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED salaires PATENTS Number Name y Date 1,026,295 Arndt-etal May 14,1912 1,098,014 Carter May 26,1914 `1,677,4.30 lCouins July 1v, 192e 1,731,985 neeney not. 15, 1929 1,840,002 Wallis -n Jan. 5, 1932 2,488,695 Upton nov. 22, 1949 2,517,980 Cornett Aug. 8, 1950 

